Pages

Monday, December 27, 2010

Sorry, I kind of dropped off the face of the blogosphere in the middle of my promotions of other ArtFire artists. The Christmas rush finally caught up with me, and it was drop blogging or drop other things. As it is, I'm just finishing our "Christmas" letter today. So I sincerely apologize to all those in the group on ArtFire that I'd agreed to help out. Hopefully the little bit I did do made some difference to someone.

Moving on... looking at how I can further my artwork in 2011, I joined a challenge on Etsy to do one piece of art each day for the month of January. Now, being that my style is so realistic and detailed, and taking into account my office job, there's no way I'm going to do a finished drawing each day, but I am going to sketch. It's something I need to do more of anyway. I might experiment on some days with oil pastels or ink, but those will be strictly as I feel up for them. I may not have the chance to photograph and post my sketches each day, but I will be posting as often as possible, so stay tuned for that. I will be in Wisconsin to visit family Jan. 1 and 2, so not only will I not be able to post until the 3rd, but it will be a real test of my dedication to even get sketches done those days! If there is anyone who'd like to join me in this challenge, please post here - I'd love to follow your progress!

Other art-related goals for 2011:
I completed three finished drawings the past year. I would like to make it four for 2011. I cringe at the sound of such a measly number, but I do have a job with a commute, housework, and a farm as well. Even improving on the past year would make me very happy!

I also want to accomplish more in the distance education art course I'm taking. I'm going on year six of what is supposed to take two years to complete, and I think it's time to buckle down and get it done! I think I'll align this goal with the other and say four lessons in 2011. I want to say I have 6-8 lessons left in the course, but I'm not sure.

So, there it is, I just wanted to document my goals, so I can look back later and remember what they were.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

I'm really trying to eat healthy and lose some weight for my sister's wedding next summer, but last night, while cutting mats at my mom and dad's, my mom was making Chex party mix, and there was a whole bunch of peanut butter chocolate star cookies - two of my weaknesses! I'm also partial to the almond bark dipped oreos and pecan pie.

What are your favorite Christmas goodies?

In case you need some reminders, here're some candy-inspired finds from ArtFire:

Admit it, at first you thought these were peppermint candies! They're actually a rather neat idea - basically reusable cotton balls. I'll admit I'm not the most eco-conscious person ever, but I never would've thought of this! And they're so cute too! :)

If you actually plan on giving candy (or another small gift), what a fun way to package it! My sister and I loved our advent calendar when we were young. Wouldn't it be fun to have 25 of these little boxes numbered and hanging on the tree with a small surprise for each day?

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

... I wish! With the single digit temps outside, my drafty old farmhouse isn't exactly pleasant right now. I'm trying to delay going outside, but I will have to at some point as I have a package to mail, and my horse might want to be fed sometime today too! Hopefully, the clunky old diesel pickup will start.

Today, I looked for items that let me at least pretend to be curled up with my cocoa:

These are so cute! Crochet always reminds me of my great-grandma who taught me to crochet. Even though I haven't crocheted in years (since I took up quilting), seeing crocheted items always makes me smile.

I did spend some time today in my sewing room/guest room (warmest room in the house - go figure!) working on my current sewing project - a jersey top with one of those strange twists in the front that I could never figure out how they do.... now I know!

The front is done now. The next step is sewing it to the back and then adding the sleeves. I do kind of wish I'd been told how difficult jersey is to work with BEFORE! :) I love the feel of it though, and I can't wait to see how this turns out.

Monday, December 13, 2010

That's right - dreaming... what I wish I was doing right now! I'm running on five hours of sleep instead of my usual eight, and I really feel like I never woke up and am still in dream land. Not a good state for someone who's proof reading a newspaper being readied to send to print. Thank goodness for lunch break!

So in honor of my stupidity in staying up half the night, here's some dream-inspired finds from ArtFire:

Yes, I know, I like blue! The musical notes design on this tee could sing me right to sleep. I like the tops in this shop. Most times, you buy a top with a design just on the front, but these have a little extra embellishment on the back making them extra special.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

I got my Christmas tree lit up last night. Took a while longer than I'd planned - my lights were tangled in an absolutely hopeless mess. I had to leave them and come back later more than once or I was going to start breaking things!

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Red and white is such an elegant combination for Christmas - I much prefer it to the traditional red and green. The embossed snowflakes, sparkly﻿ rhinestone accents, and silky red ribbon are beautiful together!

This is what it looks like outside my window right now - only this bag is much prettier.... I'd also much rather have this bag than this weather! Go its page for the fun story about where all the different fabrics/laces came from!﻿

Don't ask me why, but in my mind, roses and stars go together, so yes, this does still fit my theme. :) I just love the look of these stars, and if you go check out the other photos, there's something on the back of it too!

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

I don't think I've mentioned before, but I'm enrolled as a student of the Art Instruction Schools in Minneapolis - this was the school that trained Charles Schultz, the creator of the Peanuts cartoon. It's a distance education course where you work from home at your own speed and mail in the finished assignments for grading. I'm just finishing up my "Drawing Objects" lesson, and the final assignment is to draw a sight-size (it's the same size on the paper as it appears to the eye) shoe. This is all set up on my studio table, so until I finish it, it's the ONLY thing I'm able to work on - don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

Here's some photos of the setup, the shoe, and my progress on the drawing. It's still far from complete.

The difficulty with drawing from life rather than photos is that each eye sees a slightly different image. For instance, the dark inside part behind the main strap isn't visible in the photo since it was taken from my right eye perspective. When I had the camera lined up to my left eye perspective, the toe straps took on a completely different arrangement than what I'd drawn. It's a challenge to combine these two images.

Monday, November 22, 2010

Use blog5 as your coupon code during checkout for either my ArtFire or Etsy shops (links can be found above and at the right) and receive a discount on your purchase just for reading my blog! Enjoy! :)

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Yesterday, I went with my family to a local craft show and also to a smaller art show. The craft show I displayed at last year and debated doing it again this year as it was mildly successful, but in the end decided against it. It's more fun to attend as a shopper. Here's what I found:

Unlighted﻿:

Lighted:

It's a beautiful fused glass (I think) tart burner. I've always been a pyromaniac and swore I'd never give up the flames in my candles, but this is GORGEOUS! I got a pack of cedarwood-vanilla scented tarts too.

At the art show, I talked to many wonderful artists. The one that stood out the most for me was Anndell of AW Design & Photography. She had some incredible panoramic photos, one made up of 35 individual photos! I bought this photo from her for my (someday) John Deere themed dining room:

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

He seems like he needs something more than just the face shot, but I can't decide what. I was thinking maybe putting a fancy horse bridle on him, but I don't know if I want to go that quirky. I'll have to stew about him a little longer. :)

About Me

I'm an aspiring pencil sketch artist, rookie photographer, and all-around crafty person just trying to make my way out there in the big wide world of artwork.
I live on a farm in southwestern Minnesota with my husband, my "dogter", my anti-social horse, a few semi-friendly cats, and usually a couple hundred head of beef cattle.
Feel free to comment on anything or email me at black_unicorn11@yahoo.com
I'd love to hear from you!